


much colder than a thought

by reaperbites



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Comforting Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley Has Chronic Pain (Good Omens), Crowley Has Long Hair (Good Omens), Cuddles, Good Omens Secret Santa, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Massages, Snake Crowley (Good Omens), Winter, Worried Aziraphale (Good Omens)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:47:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21871693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reaperbites/pseuds/reaperbites
Summary: It was the middle of winter in South Down, and that meant one thing: snow. Plenty of it. The air was frigid and full of the promise of the white, powdery flakes. Children would rejoice, as that meant they had got to miss a few days of school. Adults would grumble in frustration as they try to shovel out their driveway.Then there were beings like Crowley, who hissed at the slightest temperature change.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 177





	much colder than a thought

**Author's Note:**

> I was matched up with non-bunnary for Good Omens Secret Santa! I hope you like this, dear, and thank you for your patience <3
> 
> The title is from Daughtry's song, "Supernatural."

It was the middle of winter in South Down, and that meant one thing: snow. Plenty of it. The air was frigid and full of the promise of the white, powdery flakes. Children would rejoice, as that meant they had got to miss a few days of school. Adults would grumble in frustration as they try to shovel out their driveway.

Then there were beings like Crowley, who hissed at the slightest temperature change.

Crowley hated to admit it, but he was extremely sensitive to the changing seasons. Especially because Aziraphale loved the vibrant colors of fall, and the snow and holidays that came along with winter. Due to Crowley's reptilian past, he often grew sluggish in the winter and fall. He would refuse to get out of bed most days. Some days he would remain in snake form and hide underneath one of Aziraphale's sweaters to stay warm. It took lots of coaxing from Aziraphale to even get him up to eat breakfast. Not even a ride in the Bentley would make him feel better.

It didn't take long for Aziraphale to notice his husband's seasonal struggles. He knew something was wrong when he felt Crowley's mood dip low as soon as he mentioned the temperature was going to be dropping within the coming days. Crowley couldn't get anything past him.

Aziraphale had been trying to find things that would ease Crowley's discomfort. He looked into heat lamps and other heaters, extra quilts, and even little snake sweaters. He was scared to bring anything up to Crowley, though. He did not want to risk embarrassing the demon - if that was possible.

Crowley didn't even know how to prepare for the winter. All he knew to do was listen to Aziraphale's predictions - which were almost always right - and pull the extra quilt out of the closet. Wintery nights made him thankful to be fond of sleep. He could sleep through it, and make it pass by quicker. Since Aziraphale had grown used to sleep, too, he was Crowley's personal heater most nights.

So Aziraphale was shocked when he awoke one morning to find snow blanketing the ground, with some still falling, but no Crowley in bed wrapped around him, or even laying beside him. His mind raced with worry almost disorienting. He knew it was cold. He assumed the worst: Crowley was sick and freezing somewhere in their cottage. “Oh dear,” he said under his breath.

“Crowley! Where in the hell are you?” Aziraphale called out. His heart almost stopped when he didn't hear a reply. Aziraphale knew couldn't have run away during the night. He was much too tired - and slightly lazy. Perhaps he's in snake form somewhere, Aziraphale pondered.

Aziraphale took a deep breath to collect himself. Be calm, he repeated in his head. He then kneeled down to check underneath the bed. He felt around the floor, but felt nothing. His worry only became worse when he found nothing. He checked the bedside table, and the closet, but there was still no Crowley. There was only one room Crowley could be in at this time of morning: the lounge room.

Aziraphale grabbed his cream-colored robe from the bedpost and slipped it on over his pajamas. He tightened it around himself. There was a chill in the room, which lead him to make a mental note to turn up the heat. 

He was ready to storm out of the bedroom in a worried frenzy, and scold Crowley for not alerting him in some way before he got up. That is, until a small, black snake head peaked out of his robe's pocket. It looked up at him with curious eyes, and flicked its tongue out at him. It looked shocked and confused; it was Crowley.

“There you are, you rascal,” Aziraphale smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. “You scared me, dear, I thought you were freezing or sick somewhere.” He gently rubbed the side of the snake's head.

The snake - Crowley - frowned. He looked up into Aziraphale's eyes, and investigated his face. A light bulb seemed to flick on in his head as an idea struck him. He climbed onto the hand that was stroking him, and slithered out of Aziraphale's pocket. He climbed up the angel's arm, and rested on his shoulder. He nuzzled Aziraphale's cheek gently; it was his way of saying he was sorry when he could not use words.

Aziraphale looked at him with a soft smile; he knew he couldn't stay mad at him for long. “I forgive you,” he said. “Not seeing you just scared me. It is winter, after all. Why didn't you alert me in some way?” 

Crowley knew if he could roll his eyes, he definitely would. Aziraphale worried about him too much. Sometimes, like now, it left him feeling guilty. He wished the angel would relax, or at least have a more positive mindset. Aziraphale gave him that speech enough. Besides, Crowley was a grown demon; he could take care of himself - sometimes.

“Do you want to stay in my robe while I get dressed for the day?” Aziraphale asked, receiving a small nod in reply. He slid his robe off as carefully as possible. He laid it on the bed, making sure the pocket was facing up so Crowley could breath and wiggle out if necessary. He made sure Crowley was comfortable before he walked over to his and Crowley's shared closet. 

About a year into their relationship, Aziraphale had convinced Crowley to buy at least one outfit to keep hanging in the closet. Even though most knew something was off about the two of them, species wise, they had to attempt to blend in.

Aziraphale dressed in a beige sweater with a tartan undershirt that poked out at the collar, and dark French grey trousers. Once he was satisfied with his appearance, he walked back over to the bed. He placed his hand in front of the robe pocket so Crowley could slither onto it. 

Crowley wasted no time to climb up Aziraphale's sweater sleeve and wrap himself around his wrist like a bracelet. It felt so much warmer and more comfortable than the robe. He caught sight of the tartan Aziraphale had managed to add to his outfit, and shook his head in disapproval.

“Comfortable, dear?” Aziraphale asked, acting as if he didn't see Crowley's sly head shake. Crowley nodded up at him. “You would look quite dashing in a matching sweater!” Aziraphale added, knowing it would embarrass Crowley. He could just picture the blush on Crowley's face as he thought of matching with Aziraphale, along with slight disgust, due to the mandatory addition of tartan somewhere on the outfit. “Let's go to the kitchen and start breakfast, shall we?”

-

After breakfast, Aziraphale and Crowley had moved to the lounge. Aziraphale was reading as he sat on the sofa with Crowley still wrapped around his wrist. Crowley decided it was warm enough in the cottage to let go of Aziraphale's wrist and transform back into a human.

He slithered off of Aziraphale's arm, and went down to the floor. He held his front half up as if he were a cobra about to strike. He quickly made the transformation from snake to human. As he stretched his human limbs once again - which he had missed greatly, they were useful things - he felt the twinge of pain in his back that never went away in human form. Even when he popped his back. It was one of the many perks of having a snake and human spine fused into one.

Aziraphale stood from his seat and pulled Crowley into a hug. Crowley returned the action immediately. He kissed the top of Aziraphale's head. “Good morning to you, too, Angel,” he said with a smile. Aziraphale helped him forget about his pain most of the time. Aziraphale truly was a Blessing to Crowley, even if Crowley wasn't supposed to have those.

“How are you feeling now?” Aziraphale asked as he pulled out of his and Crowley's hug. He knew of Crowley's back pain. It was something he wished Crowley didn't have to deal with; he had been through enough already. 

“Same old, same old,” Crowley shrugged. “Nothing I can't handle.” He didn't like to seem weak in front of Aziraphale, so he never complained. It had taken all of him to admit that fall and winter made him sick at the beginning of their relationship.

“Are you sure you don't need me to rub your back?” Aziraphale asked.

“...Positive.”

Aziraphale bit back a sigh, as he was not buying Crowley's story, but still nodded, “Just remember that I'm always here for you, my dear.”

Crowley rubbed his arm awkwardly, and found himself biting at the corner of his lip. He kept his eyes to the ground. He chuckled nervously. “Uh, on second thought... Could I take up the massage offer?” He felt his cheeks heating up in embarrassment; he truly hated asking Aziraphale to do things for him. He'd much rather be the one doing things for Aziraphale.

“Of course,” Aziraphale replied with a smile.

Crowley sat in front of Aziraphale on the couch. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, so he could calm down. He knew he needed to stop holding so much tension in his body. It would help his pain go away; although, was nearly impossible when it was cold. He didn't want to take the chance at being sluggish and off guard if Hell ever came after him, or if Heaven came after Aziraphale. He wanted to be able to protect himself or his husband if he had to.

Aziraphale brushed Crowley's hair aside, and began rubbing Crowley's upper back. The demon had decided to grow his hair out soon after Armegeddon't. Aziraphale had grown fond of running his fingers through it to wake Crowley in the mornings, or just to show affection. It was beautiful and soft. However, it could be a nuisance when Aziraphale needed to have access to Crowley's upper back or the back of his neck. 

Aziraphale grinned in triumph as he felt Crowley's muscles relaxing. Crowley sighed in relief, and smiled as well. The feeling of Aziraphale running his skilled fingers along his back was almost enough to put him to sleep. Or perhaps it was the cold. Either way, Crowley found his eyelids becoming heavy once again. “You're ssso good at that, angel,” he said.

“Only the best for you, dear.” Aziraphale placed a kiss on the back of Crowley's neck. He had begun to notice the demon's lazing forward. He wondered if he needed to turn the heat up even more, or maybe light a fire. He made a mental note to get a blanket for Crowley once he was done.

Silence fell in between the two as Aziraphale continued to work. Slowly, but surely, he worked on getting every muscle in Crowley's back to relax. He didn't question Crowley's silence. He assumed it was because of fatigue, or something he didn't feel like sharing. Crowley didn't really like to talk about his feelings, since he was often shamed for it in Hell. He never wanted to be judged like that again.

The silence left Crowley occupied in his thoughts. Aziraphale's frightened voice from earlier that morning wouldn't leave his head. He was still left with guilt because of it. “You worry too much, angel,” he said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He wanted to stay awake so he could spend more time with Aziraphale in his human form.

Aziraphale shook his head, refusing to believe a word Crowley said. Although, deep down, he knew he was a true pessimist. “I don't worry too much; I'm just cautious. It comes in handy, if you must know,” he explained. He thought Crowley could be a lot more careful, but he wouldn't waste his breath by expressing these thoughts anymore. It would only drive Crowley to do something more reckless.

“But worrying to the point where you assume I'm dead just because I'm not in bed?” Crowley asked. “That cannot be healthy, angel. I'm saying this out of worry this time. I'm not trying to be an asshole.” He hoped he was doing this right; he wasn't good at talking about his feelings.

Aziraphale only sighed in annoyance. He didn't feel like having a therapy session at the moment. He remained silent as he continued to massage Crowley's back. He could've stopped, but he was mainly continuing to in order to have an excuse to be silent. Crowley understood Aziraphale was annoyed, so he didn't pry. Aziraphale would've done the same for him.

“Listen, I'm sorry for scaring you this morning,” Crowley said. He could be the one to share this time, since he usually avoided it. He was thankful he didn't have to look directly at Aziraphale as he apologized; it was still hard for him at times.

“As I said, it's okay, Crowley,” Aziraphale replied, thankful that Crowley had taken the attention off of him. “I understand; winter isn't kind to you.”

Crowley nodded. A frown crossed his face as negative thoughts filled his mind. He told himself Aziraphale would never judge him, even if he didn't fully believe it sometimes. “I worry that I annoy you, dove, with my neediness. I am a demon, after all.” He forced a small laugh at the end, trying to lighten his mood; it failed. He could feel Aziraphale's eyes on him. He bit his lip, and hung his head; he was over-sharing again.

“Crowley, look at me.”

Crowley cautiously turned around to look at Aziraphale. He allowed some of his hair to fall into his eyes so he didn't have to look directly at the angel. Aziraphale's face showed clear concern, and genuine care. Crowley was shocked. He felt so small in front of him.

“Crowley, I love you, more than this human life we live,” Aziraphale stated. He reached out and brushed Crowley's cheek. Crowley leaned into the warm touch. “You are the best husband I could ever ask for, and the best friend I could ever ask for. I will always be here for you, because I love you. I will never, ever be annoyed by your needs, because I know you aren't annoyed by mine. I love you, Crowley, to Alpha Centauri and back.” 

Crowley turned his whole body around, so he was facing Aziraphale. He finally allowed himself to look into Aziraphale's eyes, where he could see true love. If he wasn't such a nice demon, it would've made him sick. “I love you, too, Aziraphale,” he replied in a small voice. He wished he hadn't ruined their gentle moment with his insecurities. Although, Aziraphale's words helped him feel like he was truly loved. Everyone in Hell was wrong all along.

Aziraphale pulled Crowley into a hug. Crowley happily hugged him back. His touch was warm and welcoming. His guilt was slowly melting away like snow on a summer day. He nuzzled Aziraphale's chest gently. Aziraphale kissed the top of his head. He could've spent the whole winter just like that. He looked up at Aziraphale, and they shared a quick kiss. Aziraphale looked down at him with pure love in his eyes, thinking about how much of a cuddly snake he was.

“I will be here for you, too, angel,” Crowley said. 

“Don't worry about that now, dear. Just focus on relaxing.”

Crowley bit his tongue to prevent from arguing. If he could've closed his eyes, he would. He allowed his muscles to relax. He stayed in Aziraphale's arms for what seemed like hours, enjoying the warmth and safety that came along with it. He could spend the whole winter just like this. He didn't have any worries when he felt Aziraphale's caring aura. Thanks to Hell exiling him, he did not have any responsibilities, either.

Aziraphale assumed Crowley had fallen asleep again, due to his stillness. He kissed the top of the demon's head. “Sleep well, love.”

Crowley shook his head in response. “You're not getting rid of me that easily,” he said.

“Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought-”

Crowley interrupted Aziraphale with a kiss. He pulled away, and wanted to giggle when he saw the shock in the angel's eyes. “There you go, worrying, after you tell me not to worry about you.”

Aziraphale couldn't think of anything to say in reply. He knew his hypocrisy was unfair to Crowley. He still had a lot to learn about being in a relationship. “Well, do you want to take a nap?” he asked. “I can see you're exhausted.”

Crowley shook his head, “Your warmth woke me up. And uh... Would it annoy you if I ask you to continue the massage?”


End file.
